Moving-picture-exhibiting apparatus.



?ATENTBD APR. 23, 1907.

G. UBBELMESSERB MOVING PICTURE EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

AYPLIOATION FILED NOV. 5, 1906.

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APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5,1906.

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No. 851,387. PATENTED APR..23, 1907. G. UEBELMESSER.

MOVING PICTURE EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.5, 1906.

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MOVING PICTURE EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

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@ ggfll No. 851,387. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. G. UBBBLMESSER. MUVING PICTURE EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

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PATBNTED APR. 23, 1907.

(L UEBELMESSER. MOVIIWQ: PICTURE EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 110F715, 1906.

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UNIT D STATES LPATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES UEBELMESSER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MOVING PICTURE MACHINE COMPANY,

RATION OF NEW.YORK.

or NEW YORK, N. Y., A ooRPo MOVING-PICTURE-EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

' Eatented April 23,1907.

T at, whom,v it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES UEBELMES- SER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements' in Moving-Picture-Exhibiting Apparatus,.of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for manipulating the transparent films used in the production of moving pictures, so called, and is designed to simplify and render more effective and positive the feed mechanism to provide for the accurate adjustment of the pictures with relation to the projecting lens; to protect the film'against undue strain or rupture; and to render the apparatus as a whole more substantial and effective, and less subject to Wear or derangement.

- The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described'and claimed specifically.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is an elevation of the ri ht hand side of my improved apparatus t e reels bein partly broken away; Fig. 2, is a rear eevation; Fig. 3, is a vertical section upon plane of line 33Fig'. 2; Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional detail view of the exposure aperture and ad, joining parts; Fig. 5, is a sectional elevation upon plane of line 5Fig. 2; Fig. 6, is a sectional view upon plane of line 66Fi 5 Fig. 7, is a sectional detail of the film adjusting mechanism; Fig. 8, is avertical section taken upon plane of line 88.Fig. 5 Fig. 9, is. a horizontal section taken upon plane of line 99Fig. 6; Fig. 10, is an elevation of one pair of the film driving s rocket wheels; Fig. 11, is a view taken at rig t angles to Fig. Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are detail views upon an enlarged scale of one of the sprockets or teeth of the film-driving wheels.

A, is the mainframe or casing, consisting of the base a, front a, right side 11 left side a and top a.

b, is the back plate screwed or otherwise removably attached to the main frame A.

1, is a short driving shaft mounted in suitable bearings in the right hand side frame 0?, of the frame, provided with a crank 2, and driving gear 3. The crank is rotated in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1. 4 is apinion secured to the outer end of a transverse shaft 6, mounted in suitable bearings in the sides (1 and a of the frame. This shaft 6 car ries a pair of film advancing sprockets 7 and a pulley 8 which is connected by the belt 9 .Wlth a pulley 10 on the spindle of the lower or receiving reel 11, to which the film f, passes from the film sprockets 7 between the usual guide rollers 12.

' The pinion 5 is secured to the outer end of a shaft 13 journaled in the side member a and in a bearing 14 on the front a, of the frame as will be seen by reference to Fig. 9.

On the innerend of this shaft 13' is mounted a worm gear 15 and a worm pinion 16, the latter meshing with a corresponding worm pinion 17 on a vertical shaft 18 which is so ported by a bracket 19 projecting from t e right side of the frame a fa'nd a journal a, on the top a as will be seen by reference to Fig. 8,the upper end of the said vertical shaft 18 having mounted upon it a'worm pinion 20 which meshes with a corresponding worm gear 21 on the horizontal countershaft 22 mounted in suitable bearings upon the top a, and carrying the film sprocket wheels 23 bywhich the film f, is withdrawn from the upper reel 24.

25 is a rocker arm carrying a stud 26 on which is mounted the contact rollers 27 for holding the film against the sprocket wheels 23, a spring 28 being used to hold the parts normally in engagement and the lever 25 being rocked back against the resistance of the spring when it is necessary to pass the filmf, between the sprockets 23 and the rollers 27.

29 represents the usual gearing for efiecting the re-winding of the reel '24;

The worm gear 15 meshes with the worm pinion 30 on the forward end of the shaft 31. situated at right angles to the shaft 13 and supported in bearings 32, projecting from the side c of the frame (see 8) the rear end being stepped in a sleeve 33 in the back plate 7), as will be seen by reference to Figs. 5 and 9.

d, is the hub of the shutter disk D mounted on the shaft 31 and formed with a shutter segment (1, equal to one-fourth of the circumference and with the radial arms (Z opposed thereto. These arms d serve in part to counterbalance the shutter segment d, to' strengthen and stiffen the disk as a whole and to moderate the light passing through the lenses during exposure of a film picture.

On the shaft 31.at the rear of the shutter disk D is mounted the duplex cam C, having the cam surfaces 0 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. these cam surfaces 0, 0 are flanges y,

' formed with vertical extensions f, y", ex-

- is attached to the shaft 34 by means which will admit of the movement of the shaft longitudinally in either direction within certain limits. by way of illustration by forming the shaft with a spiral groove 36 into which pro ects the end of a screw 37 countersunk in the pinion 35 as will be understood by reference to Fig. 7. This longitudinal movement of the shaft 34 is effected by means of a U-shaped yoke U against the upright members a, of

which the opposite ends of the shaft 34 abut,the yoke being formed with a rack u, actuated by a-pinion 38 upon a spindle 39 which is manipulated by a handle 40 at the rear of the apparatus, see Figs. 2 and 5.

On the shaft 34 and splined thereto, is a sleeve 41 carrying the two film sprockets 42. These film sprockets 42 while admitting of the adjustment of the shaft 34longitudinallythroughtheir sleeve are fixed with relation to the shaft in the sense that they rotate therewith and have no axial or lateral play thereon. As a consequence, when the U frame is adjusted in either direction, the sprocket wheels 42 will be advanced or retarded with relation to the elongated driving pinion 35 by reason of the engagement of the screw 37 with the sides of the groove 36 in the shaft 34. This is for the purpose of adjusting the film with accuracy to the light aperture L and projecting lenses 1/, p, so as to have the individual pictures, register thereby avoiding overlapping or irregularity in the pictures cast upon the screend The elongated driving pinion 35 is actuated by means of a cam worm W secured rigidly to the shaft 31,the peripheral 7 thread to, of the cam W meshing with the teeth of the pinion 35 and being in constant engagement therewith irrespective of the poon of the cam i i purpose of enabling it to maintain engagement with the elongated pinion 35 during the reciprocation of the yoke plate Y,-the thrust of all three cams 0, c and W being Resting upon and engaging with In the drawings this is accomplished The eccentric peripherai surface of the cam worm N, is for the- The glass T bears directly against the film f a being held thereto by springs 15. The contact of the glass with the film excludes air fronrthe side of the latter which is exposed directly to the heat emanating from the source of light by which the pictures are projected, thereby protecting the film against overheating or scorching and catching lire.

It Wlll be seen that the film f from the reel 24 passes down and around the sprocket.

wheels 23 and betweenthe latter and the rolls 27 and thence through the space between the back plate b, and the hinged flap H, down over the aperture L and the glass T, to and under the sprocket wheels 42 between the latter and the rolls 43, and thence to the sprocket wheels 7 and between the latter and the rolls 7 from whence it is conducted through the guides 12 to the lower or receiving reel 11. in passing the film f, through the apparatus slack portions or loops f f are left between the sprockets 23 and the back plate b, and between the sprock ets 42 and sprockets 7 as shown in Figs. 3

and 5.

During operation the reciprbcation of the yoke plate Y, by the cams c, 0', causes the sprocket wheels 42 to alternately roll over.

and then forward the film f. That is to say during the upward movement of the yoke Y which corresponds to the period of exposure while the portion of the film between the back b,'and hinged flap H is held stationary,

the sprockets 42 simply roll over the fihn,-

the diameter of the sprockets 42 and their IIO speed of rotation being timed with relation to the throw of the cams, while onthe downward movement of the yoke, Y, they carry the film with them. The shutter disk D is so timed with relation to the other parts as to interpose the shutter 62, between the light aperture L and the lenses p, during the downward movement of the reciprocating plate, and hence during the shifting of the film with relation-to the light opening. As hereinbefore stated the film is regulated with accuracy with relation to said light opening 1.1 through the medium of the adjustable rack. U, and this maybe accomplished without interfering with the operation of the appa- 11,--

out undue strain,the movement or thrust of the reciprocating plate Y being equivalent in extent to the width, vertically of each of the successive pictures upon the film, so that, while during the upward movement of the yoke plate Y, as before stated, the sprockets 23 and Z are advancing the film and the sprockets 42 simply roll over it, on the downward stroke of the yoke plate Y, the sprockets 42 in reality feed the pictures successively to the light opening L, which they are enabled to do freely by reason of the slack represented by the loop f, and this result is rendered certain and accurate by reason of the facility with which the adjustment of the sprockets 4:2 with relation to the pinion 35 may be effected through the medium of the handle 40, yoke U and connections. 1 i

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure b y Letters Patent is,

1. In a device of the character designated, the combination with means for feeding the film continuously, of a reciprocating yoke plate, film forwarding sprocket wheels mounted thereon, means for. continuously rotating said sprocket wheels, and cams arranged to positively reciprocate said yoke frame alternately in opposite directions, for the purpose described.

2. In a device of the character designated, the combination with means for feeding the film continuously, of a reciprocat ng yoke plate, film forwarding sprocket wheels and a driving pinion upon a shaft mounted upon said reciprocating yoke plate, cams arranged to positively reciprocate said yoke, and a cam worm on the camshaft engaging with the pinion on the sprocket wheel shaft, for the purpose described.

3. In a device of the character designated, the combination with means for feeding the film continuously, of a reciprocating yoke plate, film-forwarding sprocket wheels and a driving pinion upon a shaft mounted upon said reciprocating yoke plate, a duplex cam engaging with and arranged to positively reciprocate said yoke,-a cam worm mounted on the cam shaft and having a thrust equal to that of the cams and a shutter on the cam shaft timed with relation to said cams and cam worm for the purpose described.

4. In a device of the character designated,

the combination with means for feeding the film continuously, of a reciprocating yoke plate, film forwarding sprocket wheels and a driving pinion upon a shaft mounted upon said reciprocating yoke plate, cams engaging with and arranged to positively reciprocate said yoke plate, a cainworm on the cam sprocket wheel shaft, and means for adjusting said pinion axially upon its shaft and with relation to the sprocket wheels, for the purpose described.

5. In a device of the character designated, the combination with means for feeding the film continuously, of a reciprocating yoke plate, film forwarding sprocket wheels splined to a shaft mounted upon said reciprocating yoke plate in such manner as to be longitudinally movable upon its bearings, a pinion on said shaft engaging therewith by means of a spiral spline, means for adjusting said shaft longitudinally, cams engaging with and arranged to positively reciprocate said yoke plate, and a cam worm 011 the cam shaft engaging the pinion on the shaft on the reciprocating yoke plate, for the purpose described.

6. In a device of the character designated, the combination with means for feeding the film continuously, of a reciprocating yoke plate, film forwarding sprocket wheels splined to a shaft mounted upon said reciprocating yoke plate such manner as to be longitudinally movable upon its bearings, pinion on saidshaft engaging therewith by means of a spiral spline, a rack having arms engaging the opposite ends of said shaft, a pinion engaging said ra'ck, means for operating said rack namely, cams engaging with and arranged to positively reciprocate said yoke plate, and a cam Worm on the cam shaft engaging the pinion on the shaft on the re scribed.

7. In a device of the character designated, the combination of means for feeding the film continuously, and intermittently to the light aperture, and a rotating shutter plate interposed between the projecting lenses and the light aperture, said rotating shutter plate being formed with radial arms opposed to the shutter-section, for the purpose described.

CHARLES UEBELMESSER.

Witnesses:

I). W. GARDNER, Geo. WM. MIATT.

shaft engaging with the pinion on the ciprocating yoke plate, for the purpose de- KOO 

